Vandals strike at Northland mill

By Ellen W. Todd

Sanford News Writer

fosters.com

By Ellen W. Todd

Sanford News Writer

Posted Aug. 29, 2013 at 3:15 AM

By Ellen W. Todd

Sanford News Writer

Posted Aug. 29, 2013 at 3:15 AM

SANFORD — As contractors work to get the Sanford Mill at 61 Washington Street ready for its first tenants, vandals targeted the building last weekend, breaking windows and spraying graffiti on brick walls.

Contractors arrived Sunday morning, Aug. 25, to find two of the large windows on the front of the building broken and graffiti spray-painted on the rear exterior wall as well as on the interior walls of the rear entrance hall. In addition, a fire extinguisher was sprayed in a hallway and then left outside the building.

Some of the graffiti appears to be “tags” — names or symbols used as a kind of signature by some individuals.

Brad Fries, development director for Northland Enterprises LLC, the developer and owner of the Sanford Mill, said Monday that the company will install a security camera system in the newly renovated building and is considering hiring a security guard for the entrances. He said the contractor had agreed to take care of the damages and the cleanup.

Fries said 75 percent of the residential units in the rehabilitated and renovated former textile mill are rented and some tenants will be moving in this weekend.

Sanford Police collected evidence at the scene and are investigating the vandalism, said Deputy Chief Timothy Strout.

Strout said the police department received two more reports of broken windows in the area on Monday morning — one from York County Community Action Corp on Spruce Street and one from another business on Washington Street.